Malicious Code Injection in criminal_vole_0xrequest Package
Summary
MAL-2025-101076: Malicious code in criminal_vole_0xrequest (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The criminal_vole_0xrequest package is part of the npm ecosystem, which is widely used for JavaScript development. This package is associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign, which has been known to flood the npm registry with malicious packages. The primary functionality of this package is to facilitate token rewards, but it has been compromised to include harmful scripts that manipulate package metadata.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability in the criminal_vole_0xrequest package stems from its inclusion in a malicious campaign that modifies the package.json file to remove private flags, alters version numbers, and generates random package names. This behavior is designed to inflate developer reputation scores and pollute the npm registry with derivative packages. The malicious payload can lead to unauthorized access and manipulation of project dependencies, potentially compromising the security of applications that rely on this package.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall criminal_vole_0xrequestIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary measure, avoid using the criminal_vole_0xrequest package and consider using alternative packages that provide similar functionality without the associated risks. Regularly audit your package dependencies to identify and remove any potentially harmful packages.
Conclusion
The criminal_vole_0xrequest package poses a significant security risk due to its malicious code that alters package metadata and inflates developer reputation scores. It is crucial to remove this package from your projects and monitor your dependencies for similar vulnerabilities using tools like Vulert.
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FAQ
It is an npm package associated with a token reward campaign that has been compromised to include malicious code.
The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized modifications of your project's dependencies, potentially compromising application security.
You should uninstall the package immediately using npm uninstall criminal_vole_0xrequest and check for any other affected packages.
Yes, tools like Vulert can monitor your project for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time using just the package-lock.json file.
You can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check for vulnerabilities without requiring signup.
